Well my long time Cabelas jacket finally went down on me. I've been researching jackets for the first time in years. I've noticed companies using p.l. for their insulated jackets. The pattern I have noticed is the more expensive jacket brands..Sitka, Browning, etc. are using p.l. I realize p.l. has been around for sometime, just never used it before...always been thinsulate gear.

Anyone know is this insulation better than thinsulate? I really like my last cabelas wader jacket but I felt it was too bulky at times. Just wondering if the p.l is really warm. Sorry if this has been covered..never seen the two compared...in discussionThanksChest

PrimaLoft is a patented synthetic microfiber thermal insulation material that was developed for the United States Army in the 1980s. PrimaLoft is a registered trademark of PrimaLoft, Inc., the brand's parent company...

In 2010, PrimaLoft was awarded compliance with the bluesign criteria for environmental impact, establishing PrimaLoft as the first branded insulation manufacturer to obtain bluesign’s system partner status.[4] The bluesign criteria is designed for maximum resource productivity with respect to environmental health and safety.[5]

In 1983 the US Army Research Laboratory in Natick, MA approached PrimaLoft’s former parent company Albany International Corp., a global advanced textile and material processing company,[6] to develop a water resistant synthetic alternative to goose down for use in military sleeping bags and clothing systems in variable environmental conditions.

Modern insulation materials are pretty much the same. The amount of insulation is much more important than the brand.Find a coat that has the features/price you want, and if it uses either Thinsulate or Primaloft you'll be good to go.I.e. I would not rule out any garment because it has one instead of the other.

mudpack- I would disagree... I am a thin guy and suffered a lot in the cold. I would constantly be called the state puff marshmellow man due to the big bulk to try and stay warm, yet I was cold.

Thinsulate good... primaloft better

I have primaloft stuff...OMFG... When I first put it on I was thinking this is flimsy and and that I was going to be cold due to very little bulk to the coat. I was in the house, and after just a couple of minutes I was buring up. The first few trips out hunting I was still sceptical as there is no bulk so I packet along another coat etc. I have sense learned that I don't need the extra coats. I am hunting in way less bulk which let me tell you is much more comfortable and a lot easier to move in... 15 years of guiding, suffering, not comfortable for the fitst time ever I am warm and comfortable.

Just look at the Cabela's info on the two. PL is more efficient in terms of insulation (R-value), and, oh by the way, really light. The chart shows it clearly. All "modern" insulation is not created equal.

I have jackets made of both. I wear the PL one almost every day in the winter.

super90 wrote:Just look at the Cabela's info on the two. PL is more efficient in terms of insulation (R-value), and, oh by the way, really light. The chart shows it clearly. All "modern" insulation is not created equal.

I have jackets made of both. I wear the PL one almost every day in the winter.